Few
things are as scary and unpredictable as natural disasters. While all emergencies
are terrifying, there’s something about the uncontrollable nature of these
disasters that make them especially frightening. Storms to this degree, of any
nature, bring up many stressful questions.

How
will this natural disaster effect your area? What about your property? Will your
friends and family be safe during the storm?

While
it’s impossible to know what exactly will result after one of these disasters,
the best any of us can do is read up on safety procedures and execute them to the best of our abilities.
It always pays off to have some practical knowledge on hand, from the biggest
issues to the smallest inconveniences.

When
it comes to said inconveniences, nothing is as annoying as trying to guess
whether your food has gone bad or not. Often during a huge storm, electricity
tends to get blown out, which means that your refrigerator has probably died
and left your food to spoil. One of two things will happen: the food will
defrost, go bad, then maybe refreeze OR it will stay frozen or refreeze in time
to keep the food edible.

In
the past it might have been difficult to guess which has happened, but thanks
to Ms. Sheila Pulanco
Russell from Lumberton, North Carolina, we all can feel a little safer
with this practical tip she shared.

Simply
titled “The One Cup Tip,” the only things you need are a quarter, a cup of
water, and a freezer. Here’s what you’ll need to do to pull off this trick.

The One Cup Tip

Directions

1.Place a cup of water in your freezer.

2.Freeze the water until it is solid, and then put a quarter on
top of the frozen water and return it to your freezer.

3.Leave it in your freezer.

You’re
probably asking yourself, what does this tip accomplish?

It
helps you determine whether or not your food has gone bad, or whether it
refroze or stayed frozen while you were away.

For
instance, if you return after you have been evacuated and find that the frozen
water has melted and the quarter has fallen to the bottom of the cup, you now
know that all the food has defrosted and it should be thrown
out.

However,
if the quarter is either on the top of the frozen cup or in the middle of the
cup, then your food may still be okay to eat. The top tells you that the
freezer was still in tact the whole time – the middle tells you that your food
might have defrosted, but later refrosted when electricity returned.

This
tip is also useful beyond natural disaster purposes. For example, if you leave
the cup in your freezer at all times and your power spontaneously goes out, you
will have this neat tip to rely on.

Most
importantly, as a general rule, if you feel your food is no longer safe, simply
throw it out. Safety is the utmost priority and eating food that may have
spoiled can have numerous negative health consequences.

This pop up dome could be the answer to your
emergency shelter problem

Do you have an emergency shelter at
your bug out location?

If not, or even if you do, you should
take a look at this.

Intershelter has developed this quick-to-assemble, portable geodesic
dome shelter.

Not only is a dome the most architecturally sound and stable of
all structures, the white exterior deflects the suns’ ray, keeping the
structure cool.

It assembles quickly, and all the doors and windows are
pre-fabricated. If you anchor it to a foundation, you have a permanent
structure that is easily to build and simple to maintain. “One Dome can
be assembled by two people in less than four hours with nothing more than a
screwdriver, wrench and step ladder,” Intershelter says.

If you’ve never been in a dome home, you’re missing something.
They are incredibly stable, and make good use of space. You can
even connect several of these domes to build a large home.

Source: Intershelter.com

How To Use Vicks VapoRub in 11 Unique Ways

A classic, Vicks
VapoRub has been around for over a century and is a staple in many households.
What began as a home
remedy to
combat colds, flu, and other common
ails shot into popularity during the early 20th century. Bought by
Proctor & Gamble in the ‘80s, the use of Vicks spread globally.

Made with a
combination of menthol, camphor, and other ingredients such as oils of thyme,
eucalyptus, and nutmeg, the salve cools and soothes at the same time.
Individually, these items have specific uses including pain relief, itch
reduction, anti-fungal, increasing circulation, and acne fighting.

Fast forward to
today, where faithful users tout the famous rub for everything from coughs to
stretch marks. Leave it up to good old fashioned ingenuity to find ways to
repurpose the mainstay product. It’s no wonder that with all the combined
properties of Vicks VapoRub that we use it for more than as a decongestant.

One of the world’s
most common over-the-counter remedies is probably sitting in one of your
cabinets right now. Let’s take a look at the list below at a few clever ways
that people use Vicks in their everyday lives.

1.Pimple Buster

Got a huge zit that you swear everyone’s
staring at? Some of the ingredients in VapoRub have antiseptic and skin
healing properties. Try dabbing a small dot of the rub on a pimple to dry
it out and make it disappear.

Headaches

If you have a sinus headache,
inhaling the vapors can help open up your clogged passageways. All you need to
do is rub a tiny bit of Vicks under your nose. Another method for non-sinus headaches is to rub
a small amount onto your temples. It’s thought to relieve the pressure you can
feel from your headache.

Nail
Fungus

Here again, many of the compounds in the Vicks
ointment are anti-fungal and can work against funky fungal growth in your
nails. Use a cotton swab to apply it to your toes or fingernails and let
it go to work. Wearing socks to bed will help to protect your feet as
Vicks does its job.

Stretch
Marks/Cellulite

I know, you’re thinking: “Really? Stretch
marks?” There are people who swear by this one – even posting videos on the
internet about how great it works and how to do it. While you can look up
entire processes on the best ways to VapoRub your cellulite and stretch marks
into subspace, just try using it as balm or lotion and rub it into the affected
areas.

Itch
and Sting Relief

From poison ivy to bee stings and
mosquito bites, grandmamas across the world have stuck to using Vicks to
stop itching and pain from outdoor encounters. It’s also been reported
that mites are doomed if VapoRub is used as weapon against their attacks.
Just rub it in and let those magical ingredients do their thing!

Dry
Feet

Are scaly, ashy looking feet an
issue for you? Spread some VapoRub on the soles of your feet like butter to
battle cracked, dry skin. Pay special attention to problem areas like the
heels. Cover your feet with cotton socks overnight and wash the salve off in
the morning using warm water.

Nausea

The
use of mint aromatically and internally has been a popular go-to for
nausea. Some people use Vicks by rubbing a small line under their noses or
creating a facial steam to inhale. The minty/menthol scent has been heard
to quell queasy tummies.

Burns

Ouch! It hurts when you touch a hot iron by mistake or steam escapes
from a simmering pot. A minor burn can be soothed with VapoRub. Camphor and
other elements in Vicks have the ability to heal burns and numb the pain they
cause.

Creaky Doors

Attention handymen and women: Vicks has been
known to cure creaky doors with a quick slather and pat. In case you can’t
get your hands on oil or WD40, try it and see for yourself.

Shower
Bombs

Instead of inhaling Vicks off of
your body or through a humidifier, you can make you very own shower
“fizzies” to ease congestion. Place them on the shower floor and allow the hot
water to melt them into a vapory steam.

Bruises

This is actually one of the uses listed on an
old Vicks advertisement from the 1920s. Camphor and menthol contain
constituents that aid in circulation, which help bruises to heal faster.
Rub a little bit of the ointment onto a bruise to aid in healing.

Keep in
mind that the majority of these methods aren’t backed by scientific studies, so
proceed with diligence and caution. As with any home remedy, know when to seek
medical attention for your particular problem. Do you keep VapoRub on hand for
multiple uses

A can of WD-40 does more than just free rusted metal parts or stop
things from making irritating squeaky noises. Here are 10 more clever uses for
the fluid that you might not have thought of.

WD-40 fluid can be used to do helpful things
like remove wax crayons from screens, clean off chewing gum from
carpets and shoes, act as a carpet and
kitchen cleaner to fight tough stains, add a short-term shine to leather shoes
(though we recommend
getting a proper polish and brush), and
more. The one time we do see the WD-40 lubricating something is on a stuck
zipper, which is still quite clever.

8.
Clean caked-on food from stovetops (My note: please be careful and wash with
water thoroughly after doing so.)

9.
Lubricate zippers.

10. Remove price tags
from glassware.

Tons of crazy survival uses for bandanas.

Some of these are so
clever and innovative you'll probably want to use them today!

How a bandana can replace this $4,000 home
appliance

The incredible way they can be used to save
a gunshot victim's life (not a tourniquet)

How a bandana + this survival skill can
help keep you fed for days, if not weeks

15 Clever Ways To Use Bandanas Once SHTF…

One reason is
they’re incredibly lightweight and compact. By folding them up, you can store
these in your bug out bag/camping gear without ever being weighed down.

Another is they’re
one of the most versatile pieces of survival gear around.

You’ll be astonished
to discover these…

15 Clever Ways To Use Bandanas Once
SHTF

1 – An Extra Survival Tool Sack

One of the most convenient ways you can store your
compact survival tools is by wrapping them up in a bandana. This is especially
helpful when you’ve run out of room in your bug out bag.

Tie off the ends of your bandana, and then tie it to a
stick. This will give you a portable way to store your survival gear and keep
you prepared.

2 – As A Defense Weapon

This is one of the greatest (and most overlooked) ways
to use bandanas. Simply roll/whip the cloth into a rope, and then bring the
ends together. You’ll find the bottom now has a space where you can place a
rock.

Practice makes perfect, but you’ll find that you can use
this bandana as a sling to hurl the rock at your target.

This could easily come in handy in self defense, as well as
for hunting.

3 – Coffee Filter

If SHTF, you can bet that most of us will be reaching for
our coffee first thing in the morning to get us up and moving.

If you run out of coffee filters, you can use a clean
bandana as a replacement to ensure you get your morning dose of caffeine.

4 – Immobilize A Limb

If you hurt your arm in an emergency situation, the last
thing you want is to move it and risk further injury.

You can tie a few bandanas together to form a sling,
thus immobilizing the arm.

5 – Stop The Bleeding

If you’ve been shot in an emergency situation, the first
thing you’ll need to do is stop the bleeding.

Lay a few bandanas on the wound, and wrap it as best as you
can to prevent bleed-out. Then use your first-aid kit to bandage up the wound,
and call for medical assistance if possible.

6 – Lay Your Head Down

Most people don’t think to bring along their hefty pillow in
a bug out situation. And, unfortunately, stuffing a pillowcase with leaves and
needles can be quite uncomfortable.

Grab a few bandanas, fold them up, and place them underneath
your head at night for a soft pillow to fall asleep on.

7 – DIY Ice Pack

If you get injured in the wintertime, you can break off a
piece of ice and wrap it in a bandana. Place it onto the bruised area, and
you’ll have an ice pack that’ll help bring down the swelling.

8 – Save Your Hands

Most of us have burned our hand on a hot pan a time or two.
And you can bet that, if you’re doing all your cooking over an open flame, your
likelihood of burning yourself will increase exponentially.

Save your hands by wrapping a bandana around the handle of
your pot/pan. This will help you move the cookware without hurting your hands
in the process.

9 – Make Smoke Signals

If you’ve got a small, contained fire you can use your
bandana to create smoke signals. First, get your bandana wet. Then repeatedly
cover and uncover the fire with your bandana, so that the smoke wafts out in
spurts.

This is a great way to alert others of your location,
especially if you don’t have a flare gun or signal mirror.

10 – Hold Medicinal Herbs/Berries

If you’re hiking along the trail and you spot some delicious
berries or medicinal herbs, simply scoop them up and carry them in your
bandana.

This is perhaps one of the most crucial ways to use
bandanas, since they, along with your skill for foraging, can help ensure you
stay fed throughout the day.

11 – Start A Fire

If you’re hard-up for tinder and need to get a fire going,
you can always use your trusty bandana. Cut it into strips (to save material),
and they’ll help you get a flame going in no time.

12 – Mark Your Trail

Cut your brightly colored bandanas into strips and tie them
onto nearby trees. This will help rescuers find you in a crisis.

13 – Keep The Bugs Out

If you’re traipsing through tall grass or piles of
leaves, there’s a good chance spiders and bugs will sneak out and try to crawl
into your shoes/hiking boots.

You can prevent this by tying a bandana around your pant leg
just above the cuff of your shoe. This will help block the insects from getting
in and biting your feet.

14 – Plug The Leak

If you’re trying to get out of dodge – but you’ve got a hose
leak – you can simply wrap a bandana around it to plug the hole.

This may be a temporary solution, but it’ll help you get
back on the road in a snap.

15 – Filter Your Water

In a survival situation, it’s often next-to-impossible to
use that fancy home water filtration system you purchased.

Luckily, a bandana, a pot, and a controlled fire can
come to the rescue and save you from dehydration.

Simply gather your water from a nearby river, lake, or
stream. Then open the bandana, and lay it flat over the top of your camping
pot.

Pour the water onto the bandana, waiting for it to drip
through. This will remove the debris from your water.

Once the water has dripped through and the physical contents
removed, boil your water for about 3 minutes to ensure its safe to drink.

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